While the DCEU continues along its chaotic and inconsistent journey through the superheroes of the DC comic-book world, it’s easy to forget about the supervillains of that universe. Namely, Batman‘s arch-nemesis, Joker. After the blistering success of the 2019 Joker movie starring Joaquin Phoenix, there was always going to be demands for a sequel, and while Joker 2 is coming, the production is facing some delays.
The original Joker movie, which was labelled an “Elseworlds” spin-off, entirely separate from the DCEU at large, was somewhat divisive, but on the whole, was a big success. The movie picked up a huge 11 nominations at the Oscars, winning two awards on the night. Most importantly though, Joker raked in over $1 billion at the box-office, which meant a sequel had to get the greenlight.
Sadly though, according to reports from The Direct, production on a sequel to the Joker is facing delays, as writer-director Todd Phillips is yet to turn in a draft of the script. It’s unclear why this is, but apparently, it’s nothing to worry about at this stage.
Phillips, better known for his work on comedy movies like The Hangover trilogy, was a surprise choice when he took the helm for the Joker movie back in 2019. But, while some criticised his homages to the work of Martin Scorsese, others praised his directorial efforts.
When it comes to writing though, the filmmaker had better get a move on! Thinking of the timeline realistically, Phillips would need to get the script completed before the end of this year, to have a chance of shooting in early 2023 as planned. That would then mean the film would probably be released in 2024.
Still, that would be five years since the release of the first Joker movie. And, we all know how impatient comic-book fans can be. Will the audience still be there waiting? Probably. Will Joaquin Phoenix still be interested in the role, who knows?
Well, perhaps we will get more glimpses of a different Joker in that time, anyway. Thanks to Matt Reeves and his superhero detective movie The Batman, we now have a new Clown Prince of Crime in the form of Barry Keoghan. What will hit the big screen next, The Batman 2 or Joker 2? Only time will tell.